Marsport


by Greg Follis, Roy Carter, Matthew Rea
Gargoyle Games
1985
Sinclair User Issue 45, Dec 1985   page(s) 128

Publisher: Gargoyle
Price: £9.95
Memory: 48K

Right, power up your hyperdrive, shoot forward into the 25th Century and set your docking computers for entry to Marsport.

It's 2494 and the Earth has now been besieged for decades by the forces of the Sept - alien beings, they are spacefaring, warlike and merciless. The Earth has been kept safe by means of a power sphere around the orbit of the moon but the Sept have found the original plans for the sphere at Marsport.

Guerrilla fighter John Marsh has been despatched to Mars to locate and retrieve the plans and you must assist him through the ten levels of the dome. Escape is only possible with the plans and there are many ways to die.

The game is controlled and designed in the same movie style of Tir Na Nog and Dun Darach. The space-suited figure of Commander Marsh strides along corridors in much the same way as Cuchullain. Action is smooth and unflickering in a convincing 3D way.

The Warriors are hopping beetle-like creatures who move fast and never ask questions. The Warlords, more noble and less frantic, sit in corridor spaces like arachnid cabbages - only their probosci are scorpion-like and kill on contact.

When you enter the base from the Spacefield your first purpose should be to get some sort of weapon. You are placed on the 'C' level of the base, and must descend to the Daly level where the supplies are kept.

Having explored a bit you'll probably find the Downtube. It's only then that you realise that the lift tubes don't connect one floor to the next as you'd expect... they miss one out. Now you're on Elis level, a residential section where the Sept have their quarters. Watch out.

There are chutes for refuse, lockers where goods can be stored, points for charging weapons and supply units which will provide you with things like guns, gun permits, charcoal, flour and a wide range of consumer goods.

Try to locate Factor Units - those will assemble two or more objects to make a new one. There are also Key stations situated near doors or wall units. They will open the door if you can insert an appropriate object into them.

Gargoyle has yet again produced an enormously sophisticated program. The introduction of an arcade element with the power-gun adds extra zing (or zap) to the proceedings. Top marks to a firm who deliver consistently fine software.


Overall: 5/5

Transcript by Chris Bourne

Sinclair User Issue 73, Apr 1988   page(s) 93

Label:
Author:
Price: £.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

It's 2494, and Cuchulainn's great-great-great-great-great (ENOUGH! -GT) grandson Commander John Marsh is the only hope of saving Mankind from the revolting slimy Sept. Substitute space helmets for swords and aliens for gremlins, and you'll have Marsport. The basic layout, clever animation and detailed background design is very much in the same vein as Tir Na Nog and Dun Darach.

While the Earth and Moon are surrounded by a force field. Mars has fallen to the Sept invaders. You must retrieve the plans for improved field generators from the Marsport Central Computer. Unfortunately, the computer is very keen to defend itself, and can't tell the difference between you and the Sept...

As usual, you have a four-way view, detailed scrolling backgrounds and the opportunity to find and utilise various weapons and tools. You have three main objectives; locate the computer, find the plans and escape. Along the way you'll have to fight the aliens, who are invariably hostile, and robots, some of which are aggressive guardians while others are helpful information gatherers.

Supply units are your main source of useful objects, so look out for them. Lockers can be used to store objects once you have found them. Charge units will replenish your power, while Factory units assemble two or more objects to manufacture a more useful tool.

Finally, key units and vidtex units allow you to access locked areas and to gain useful information.


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Overall: 10/10

Summary: Cuchulainn in space; even better than Tir Na Nog.

Transcript by Chris Bourne

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